Mother Nature not through with drought busting year

Published 10:49 am, Thursday, November 26, 2015

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Mother Nature not through with drought busting year

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With a round of wet, icy weather in store for this Thanksgiving weekend, forecasters warn that today could very well be a Black Ice Friday as early holiday shoppers contend with extremely hazardous driving conditions.

However weather statisticians will be paying closer attention to the rain gauge rather than Black Friday bargains since the latest round of moisture holds the potential to move 2015 past 2004 to become the fifth wettest year ever in Plainview history.

As of 5 p.m. Thanksgiving Day, the Plainview Herald has measured 33.03 inches of precipitation during 2015. That’s well above the 100-year average of 20.04 inches, and sixth on the all-time list.

The record for Plainview is 38.10 inches, measured in 1926; followed by 37.41 inches in 1915; 34.72 in 1900; 34.35 inches in 1941; and 34.15 inches in 2004. Rainfall earlier this month moved the current year ahead of 1960, which saw 32.45 inches during a year that included 11.74 inches of rain in July which caused Plainview’s worst flooding ever.

The city’s driest year was 2011 with just 5.63 inches of precipitation.

Forecasters with the National Weather Service in Lubbock posted rainfall chances of 90 percent for Thanksgiving night into Friday morning, dropping to 80 percent Friday and Friday night, and 60 percent on Saturday. A strong chance of rain, freezing rain, sleet and snow continues into Monday.

Although some cotton and grain sorghum remains in the field, the majority of the crops have been harvested and most farmers are now ready for moisture which should give a boost to the winter wheat crop and improve grazing conditions. The wet freezing conditions will also condition the soil to readily accept additional moisture this winter.

This weekend’s blustery weather is due to a strong cold front that was expected to move through the region Thanksgiving night. The colder temperatures, forecasters say, will mean that Thursday’s rain showers will change over into freezing rain by midnight Friday. As a result, the National Weather Service has posted an Ice Storm Warning for most of the region beginning at midnight Friday and running through 6 p.m. Saturday.

On Friday, a mix of wintry precipitation is expected, including rain, sleet and snow, continuing through at least late Saturday afternoon. Snowfall accumulations of 1 to 2 inches are possible across the northern and northwestern South Plains, forecasters say. Ice accumulations of a quarter-inch to half-inch are expected across the area, with locally heavier amounts possible. Forecasters warn travel may become difficult along with widespread power outages.

Very low wind chills are expected Friday morning, dropping into the single digits over the southern Texas Panhandle and into the low teens across the rest of the region.